Self-hinging disposable retractor instrument for endoscopic surgery

Abstract

An endoscopic surgical retractor instrument is presented which has a laterally collapsible and expandable self-hinging truss support platform carried by a sleeve and extension member. The sleeve is slideably carried by the extension member and consists of first and second arcuate sections which are radially and oppositely carried by the extension member and captively contained thereon by the inner surface of a housing cavity. The housing has a distal barrier adjacent its distal end which defines a limit to the distal axial displacement of the sleeve relative to the housing. Upon engagement of the distal barrier by the sleeve, the continued distal axial displacement of the extension member will cause expander struts in the truss support platform to expand the platform's outer struts laterally thereby opening the truss. Upon retraction of the expansion member in the housing, the outer struts collapse laterally and continued axial proximate displacement of the extension member will cause the expander struts to collapse laterally and close the truss.

We claim: 
     
       1. An endoscopic surgical retractor instrument for supporting internal organs comprising: a) a housing having an inner and outer surface, a longitudinal axis, and a proximate and distal end, said housing having a first opening at said distal end and a second opening at said proximate end and an axially extending cavity bounded by said inner surface where said cavity communicates with said first and second openings forming a passageway through said housing;   b) an extension member slideably carried by said housing and extending at least in part in said cavity for axial displacement relative to said housing such that said extension member may upon sufficient distal axial displacement relative to said housing extend in part distally from said distal end of said housing and upon sufficient proximate axial displacement said extension member may be retracted proximately of said distal end of said housing;   c) a sleeve having an axially extending conduit forming a passageway therethrough for receiving said extension member where said sleeve is so mounted in concentric relationship to said extension member to permit slideable extensible axial displacement of said extension member relative to said sleeve and a distal barrier extending from said housing in a radial direction adjacent said distal end of said housing and defining a limit to the distal axial displacement of said sleeve such that upon engagement of said sleeve with said barrier said extension member is distally extensible relative to said sleeve; and   d) a laterally collapsible and expandable self-hinging truss platform so carried by said sleeve and said extension member such that upon axial extension of said extension member sufficiently distal of said distal end of said housing said self-hinging support platform may be opened and upon sufficient retraction of said extension member proximally within said housing said self-hinging truss support platform may be laterally collapsed.   
     
     
       2. The surgical retractor instrument recited in claim 1 wherein said self-hinging truss support platform comprises a pair of lateral outer struts integrally connected to said sleeve, a distal closure bridge integrally interconnecting said outer struts to form first laterally spaced self-hinging joints, and a pair of expander struts having first and second ends respectively where each said expander strut is integrally connected at said first end to said extension member and distally extending from said extension member, and where each said second end respectively of said expander struts is integrally connected respectively to one of said outer struts. 
     
     
       3. The surgical retractor instrument recited in claim 2 wherein said distal closure bridge contains a self-hinging central joint intermediate said outer struts such that said distal closure bridge may laterally collapse upon the lateral collapse of said outer struts and laterally expand upon the lateral expansion of said outer struts. 
     
     
       4. The surgical retractor instrument recited in claim 3 wherein each said second end of said expander struts respectively forms a first self-hinging expander joint with one of said outer struts and each said first end of said expander struts respectively forms a second self-hinging expander joint with said extension member. 
     
     
       5. The surgical retractor instrument recited in claim 1 wherein said truss support platform, said extension member, and said sleeve are made of a plastic material. 
     
     
       6. The surgical retractor instrument recited in claim 1 wherein said sleeve comprises a first arcuate section slideably carried by said extension member and a second arcuate section slideably carried by said extension member where said first and second arcuate sections are captively contained within said housing and radially and oppositely spaced therein. 
     
     
       7. The surgical retractor instrument recited in claim 6 wherein said self-hinging truss support platform comprises a pair of lateral outer struts integrally connected to said sleeve, a distal closure bridge integrally interconnecting said outer struts to form first laterally spaced self-hinging joints, and a pair of expander struts having first and second ends respectively where each said expander strut is integrally connected at said first end to said extension member and distally extending from said extension member, and where each said second end respectively of said expander struts is integrally connected respectively to one of said outer struts. 
     
     
       8. The surgical retractor instrument recited in claim 7 wherein said distal closure bridge contains a self-hinging central joint intermediate said outer struts such that said distal closure bridge may laterally collapse upon the lateral collapse of said outer struts and laterally expand upon the lateral expansion of said outer struts. 
     
     
       9. The surgical retractor instrument recited in claim 8 wherein each said second end of said expander struts respectively forms a first self-hinging expander joint with one of said outer struts and each said first end of said expander struts respectively forms a second self-hinging expander joint with said extension member. 
     
     
       10. The surgical retractor instrument recited in claim 7 wherein said pair of lateral outer struts are integrally connected respectively to said first and second arcuate sections. 
     
     
       11. An endoscopic surgical retractor instrument for supporting internal organs comprising: a) a housing having an inner and outer surface, a longitudinal axis, and a proximate and distal end, said housing having a first opening at said distal end and a second opening at said proximate end and an axially extending cavity bounded by said inner surface where said cavity communicates with said first and second openings forming a passageway through said housing;   b) an extension member slideably carried by said housing and extending at least in part in said cavity for axial displacement relative to said housing such that said extension member may upon sufficient distal axial displacement relative to said housing extend in part distally from said distal end of said housing and upon sufficient proximate axial displacement said extension member may be retracted proximately of said distal end of said housing;   c) a sleeve having an axially extending conduit forming a passageway therethrough for receiving said extension member where said sleeve is so mounted in concentric relationship to said extension member to permit slideably extensible axial displacement of said extension member relative to said sleeve and a distal barrier extending from said housing in a radical direction adjacent said distal end of said housing and defining a limit to the distal axial displacement of said sleeve such that upon engagement of said sleeve with said barrier said extension member is distally extensible relative to said sleeve; and   d) a laterally collapsible and expandable self-hinging truss platform so carried by said sleeve and said extension member such that upon axial extension of said extension member sufficiently distal of said distal end of said housing said self-hinging support platform may be opened and upon sufficient retraction of said extension member proximally within said housing said self-hinging truss support platform may be laterally collapsed wherein said self-hinging truss support platform comprises a pair of lateral outer struts integrally connected to said sleeve, a distal closure bridge integrally interconnecting said outer struts to form first laterally spaced self-hinging joints, and a pair of expander struts having first and second ends respectively where each said expander strut is integrally connected at said first end to said extension member and distally extending from said extension member, and where each said second end respectively of said expander struts is integrally connected respectively to one of said outer struts.   
     
     
       12. The surgical retractor instrument recited in claim 11 wherein said distal closure bridge contains a self-hinging central joint intermediate said outer struts such that said distal closure bridge may laterally collapse upon the lateral collapse of said outer struts and laterally expand upon the lateral expansion of said outer struts. 
     
     
       13. The surgical retractor instrument recited in claim 12 wherein each said second end of said expander struts respectively forms a first self-hinging expander joint with one of said outer struts and each said first end of said expander struts respectively forms a second self-hinging expander joint with said extension member. 
     
     
       14. The surgical retractor instrument recited in claim 11 wherein said sleeve comprises a first arcuate section slideably carried by said extension member and a second arcuate section slideably carried by said extension member where said first and second arcuate sections are captively contained within said housing and radially and oppositely spaced therein. 
     
     
       15. The surgical retractor instrument recited in claim 14 wherein said self-hinging truss support platform comprises a pair of lateral outer struts integrally connected to said sleeve, a distal closure bridge integrally interconnecting said outer struts to form first laterally spaced self-hinging joints, and a pair of expander struts having first and second ends respectively where each said expander strut is integrally connected at said first end to said extension member and distally extending from said extension member, and where each said second end respectively of said expander struts is integrally connected respectively to one of said outer struts. 
     
     
       16. The surgical retractor instrument recited in claim 15 wherein said distal closure bridge contains a self-hinging central joint intermediate said outer struts such that said distal closure bridge may laterally collapse upon the lateral collapse of said outer struts and laterally expand upon the lateral expansion of said outer struts. 
     
     
       17. The surgical retractor instrument recited in claim 16 wherein each said second end of said expander struts respectively forms a first self-hinging expander joint with one of said outer struts and each said first end of said expander struts respectively forms a second self-hinging expander joint with said extension member.